Deploy Sync Gateway with Docker

Deploy Sync Gateway using Docker; securely sync enterprise data from cloud to edge.
This is an alternative to the Install and Configure steps in the Start Here! topic group. It deploys {sgw} and {cbs} using Docker containers.

Preparatory Steps

Make sure you have read and acted-upon the information in Prepare before proceeding.

Steps in Getting Started: Introduction | Prepare | Install | Configure

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

Docker installed on your machine. See the Docker installation guide for instructions.
The bucket name and RBAC credentials from Prepare.

Deploy Couchbase Server

Create a Docker Network

Create a Docker bridge network so that Couchbase Server and Sync Gateway containers can communicate.

docker network create --driver bridge couchbase

Run Couchbase Server

Run Couchbase Server in a Docker container on the couchbase network.

docker run -d --name cb-server \
  --network couchbase \
  -p 8091-8097:8091-8097 \
  -p 11210-11211:11210-11211 \
  couchbase/server

Configure Couchbase Server

Once Couchbase Server is running, open the Admin UI at http://localhost:8091 and complete the setup described in Prepare, including:

Creating a cluster
Creating a bucket
Creating an RBAC user for sync gateway

Note the bucket name and RBAC credentials. You will need them in the next step.

Deploy Sync Gateway

Create a Configuration File

Create a configuration file named sync-gateway-config.json on your local machine.

Replace <rbac-username> and <rbac-password> with the credentials you set up in Couchbase Server.

Example 1. Sync Gateway Bootstrap Config for Docker

{
  "bootstrap": {
    "server": "couchbase://cb-server", (1)
    "username": "<rbac-username>", (2)
    "password": "<rbac-password>",
    "use_tls_server": false (3)
  },
  "logging": {
    "console": {
      "enabled": true,
      "log_level": "info",
      "log_keys": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

1	Use the Couchbase Server container name `cb-server` as the hostname. Docker resolves this name within the `couchbase` network.
2	Use the RBAC credentials you created when you configured Couchbase Server.
3	TLS is disabled for local development. For production deployments, enable TLS and use `couchbases://cb-server` instead.

Run Sync Gateway

Run sync gateway in a Docker container, mounting the configuration file you created.

Replace /path/to/sync-gateway-config.json with the absolute path to the file on your local machine.

docker run -d --name sync-gateway \
  --network couchbase \
  -p 4984-4985:4984-4985 \
  -v /path/to/sync-gateway-config.json:/etc/sync_gateway/config.json \
  couchbase/sync-gateway \
  /etc/sync_gateway/config.json

Port 4985 is the sync gateway Admin port. By default it is only accessible from within the container. Do not expose port 4985 to external traffic in production environments.

Verify the Connection

Point your browser to the sync gateway public port:
```
http://localhost:4984
```

Confirm that you receive a response similar to this:

{"couchdb":"Welcome","vendor":{"name":"Couchbase Sync Gateway","version":"4.0"},"version":"Couchbase sync gateway/4.0.0 EE"}

If there are issues, select the Console Logs for more information.

Manage Your Containers

Stop Containers

docker stop sync-gateway
docker stop cb-server

Start Containers

Start Couchbase Server before sync gateway.

docker start cb-server
docker start sync-gateway

If Couchbase Server is stopped for an extended period, sync gateway loses the connection. Restart sync gateway after restarting Couchbase Server.

Update the Sync Gateway Configuration

To update the sync gateway configuration, stop and remove the container, then re-run it with the updated configuration file.

docker stop sync-gateway
docker rm sync-gateway

Then repeat Run Sync Gateway.

Next Steps

Now that you have sync gateway running in Docker, continue to Explore to add a database configuration, create users, and run a CRUD cycle to confirm sync is working end-to-end.

From there, you can explore more complex scenarios:

Learn more about sync gateway’s Bootstrap Configuration
Learn how to Sync with Couchbase Server
Implement access controls — see: Users, Roles, and the Sync Function

Getting Started

Product Information

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